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New York City Opts for Playful Playgrounds
March 5, 2007
Children are the best audience: they are curious, enthusiastic, impulsive, generous, and pleased by simple joys. They laugh easily at the ridiculous and are willing to believe the absurd. Children are not ironic, disillusioned, or indifferent, but hopeful, open-minded, and open-hearted, with a voracious hunger for pictures and stories.
-Eric Rohmann
-Eric Rohmann
The Times article continues, "Pschologists who spend time with children...say that it is important for youngsters to navigate kids-only play situations to develop their social instincts, such as how to join a game that has already started. Designers of the proposed playground were aiming for a space that, in a sense, recaptures the imaginative, collaborative games children used to organize routinely in their neighborhoods, before play dates and the American Youth Soccer Organization."
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What is ExchangeEveryDay?
ExchangeEveryDay is the official electronic newsletter for Exchange Press. It is delivered five days a week containing news stories, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.
New Exchange Resource on PLAY
Play is the focus of the latest Beginnings Workshop Book published by Exchange. This practical curriculum resource contains articles by Elizabeth Jones, Jim Greenman, Margie Carter, Edgar Klugman, Stuart Reifel, Karen Stephens, and many other play experts. Sections of the book address: The Spirit of Play, The Value of Play, Block Play, Make Believe Play, and Play and Culture. View the Table of Contents
Play is the focus of the latest Beginnings Workshop Book published by Exchange. This practical curriculum resource contains articles by Elizabeth Jones, Jim Greenman, Margie Carter, Edgar Klugman, Stuart Reifel, Karen Stephens, and many other play experts. Sections of the book address: The Spirit of Play, The Value of Play, Block Play, Make Believe Play, and Play and Culture. View the Table of Contents
Comments (6)
Displaying 5 of 6 Comments [ View all ]Ruidoso River Raccoons Pre-School
Ruidoso, New Mexico, United States
I would love to see pictures of this proposed playground -it sounds great!
United States
When soceity fully understands the developmental benefits of free play, we will see increased funding for infastructure including opportunities for play, we will see recess fully instituted in our elementary schools and we will see healthier and smarter students. Until then, we will just know this and talk about it amongst ourselves. Go spread the word how vital a role free play is in forming social, emotional, cognitive and physical skills. More importantly, learn more about how the brain develops and how free play is directly related to the production of BDNF in the brain and how this miracle is directly related to more intelligence and creativity! Play On!
WVUH Child Development Center
Morgantown, WV, United States
I think this is a wonderful movement! I hope Exchange keeps us posted with pictures of what the new playground looks like!
Rooster Loft Montessori
Waukesha, WI, United States
Sounds like a good site to establish a NWF certified Wildlife Habitat. Rooster Loft Montessori Children's House has trails, flower, vegetable & herb gardens within our playground. Designed into discovery gardens that promote peace, involving multigenerational and multicultural groups, our gardens provide wildlife with food, water, shelter and places to raise young. We have ABC garden, pirates cove, leprecaun lane, sensorial garden with herbs, fairy/miniture garden, butterfly waystation, rose memorial for 9-11 & all vets., native american garden with honeysuckle vine teepee, peace circle with zen garden, pots & pans band, sunflower tunnel, labyrinth, adventure ropes course, rain garden and pond with waterfall and creek. If you are interested in having something like this at your school or home/office e-mail me, [email protected] I will share some resources.
Dobbs Ferry, New York, United States
After this article ran there were many concerned letters to the NYT editor from early childhood educators who expressed the opinion that this was one more situation where adults directed activities and children were no longer allowed to make choices about their activities as the "traditional playground" allows. Adult directed activities for the most part restrain children from making and learning from social connections with their peers.i.e. all the extra curricular classes for children taking up the time for spontaneous and non directed play which the Academy of Pedatrics stressed in a recent study as essential for children's healthy development.
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